downright

Meanings

1. 1adverbnot comparableinformal

   Used before an adjective, especially a negative one, to stress that something is completely or thoroughly so.

   Grammar: Comes directly before an adjective: downright rude, downright dangerous.

   Patterns

   • downright + adjective

   The service was slow and downright rude.

   Driving in that fog was downright dangerous.

   His answer was downright silly, but it made everyone laugh.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Complete and total, with no softening, used for a plain or blunt description of a bad quality.

   Grammar: Always before a noun: a downright lie, downright nonsense.

   Patterns

   • a downright lie
   • downright nonsense

   That is a downright lie, and you know it.

   It would be downright foolish to ignore the warning.

   The decision was a downright disaster for the town.

3. 3adjectivecomparableold-fashioned

   Direct and honest in speech, saying exactly what you think.

   Grammar: Describes people and their manner; somewhat old-fashioned.

   Patterns

   • a downright person

   My grandfather was a downright man who never hid his opinions.

   Her downright answer left no room for argument.

Common combinations

downright dangerous

Skating on the thin ice was downright dangerous.

downright rude

Ignoring her greeting was downright rude.

downright ridiculous

The idea sounded downright ridiculous at first.

downright lie

Calling the project a success was a downright lie.

downright illegal

Selling the tickets for triple the price is downright illegal.

downright nasty

The comments online turned downright nasty.

Synonyms and how they differ

outright

Outright suggests complete and open, and it fits good and bad things, while downright mostly intensifies negative qualities.

utterly

Utterly is a more general intensifier that suits formal writing, while downright is blunter and conversational.

positively

Positively intensifies either good or bad adjectives and sounds lighter and a little humorous.

thoroughly

Thoroughly stresses completeness and works with adjectives like enjoyable or unpleasant, with less of downright's blunt edge.

Opposites

Word family

down adverb

toward a lower place or fully, the first part of the word

right adverb

directly, completely

downrightly adverb

in a plain, direct way, rare

Commonly confused: downright or upright?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “downright”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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